This meditation focuses on metta or loving kindness,
The intention to wish all beings well,
Including yourself.
So first take a few deep breaths and invite every cell in your body to relax.
Start by spending a few moments connecting with yourself.
Being willing to be present with your own experience is an act of kindness of metta.
Drop in the question how am I?
And allow the answers to bubble up.
Acknowledging any difficult or painful feelings.
Noticing any pleasant or happy feelings.
And saying these phrases silently to yourself if you find them helpful.
May I be well.
May I be happy.
May I be free from suffering.
May my life be fruitful.
In the second stage think of a good friend,
Someone you have a positive and uncomplicated response to.
And bring them to mind as vividly as you can.
What things do you appreciate about your friend?
Is there anything causing them stress or difficulty just now?
And what's going well for them?
You can say these phrases if you find them helpful.
May you be well my friend.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May your life be fruitful.
In the third stage think of someone that you don't know particularly well.
But see if you can picture them or get a sense of them.
Knowing that like you they have joys in their life as well as challenges.
Things they hope for and dream of.
And see if you can have a sense of solidarity with this fellow human being.
This meditation asks us to extend the circle of our concern beyond our favourite people.
To overcome indifference towards people we don't know and wish them well.
So as you think of this person you can say these phrases.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May your life be fruitful.
Now in the fourth stage think of someone you're finding difficult.
Maybe to start with choose someone you feel a bit irritated with rather than someone who triggers intense feelings of anger or fear in you.
Bring them to mind and notice how you feel.
You might find there's a response in your body,
Some tension perhaps.
And just breathe into whatever you find.
Reflecting that this person also has good times and bad times.
They will have had difficulties in their life and these will have shaped how they are now.
You don't have to like this person or approve of how they behave.
But see if you can wish them well.
Hope that they will suffer less.
You may have painful memories associated with this person but you can choose whether or not to manufacture hatred out of that painful experience.
The people we find most difficult can sometimes be our greatest teachers.
So allow any helpful learning to emerge.
And as you think of them you can say these phrases.
May you be well.
May you be happy.
May you be free from suffering.
May your life be fruitful.
And in this final stage start by bringing all four people to mind.
Your self,
Your friend,
The person you don't know well and the person you're finding difficult and wishing them all well.
And then extending that well wishing out into the world to beings near and far.
Those who are like you and those who are different to you.
People you find easy to love and people you find hard to love.
This meditation is about setting positive intentions.
Changing the way our mind habitually reacts.
Freeing the mind from tendencies to judge,
Blame,
Resent and disconnect from others.
Strengthening our ability to move towards others and see life from their perspective.
To develop the muscles of care,
Of loving kindness.
